Into The Past
by CrazyChild4Ever
Summary: Willow is suddenly transported into the past where she tries to find a way home and meets some people that'll impact her more than she could have ever imagined.
1. The Family Tree

_**This story has been completely redone from top to bottom. I didn't like the way that it was done, and I know that I could do better. This story has always been in the back of my head, I just didn't know how to attack it. But now that I have a plan it's going to be done right. I hope that you all bare with me right now, I'm going to try and post as much as I can during my winter break but if I don't finish the story by the time spring semester begins, my next update won't be until Spring Break then Summer vacation.**_

_Now a few quick things to say before the story starts, _

Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own any of these characters, though I wish I did own Buck or Jimmy...

Spoilers: The story begins before the very first episode from Buffy so everything from that point on is fair game, and as for The Young Riders it takes place during "Color Blind".

**Chapter One: The Family Tree**

Willow plopped down onto her bed releasing her armful of family photo albums in front of her. She carefully spread them out so they weren't stacked on top of each other. She studied the covers trying to figure out how old a few of the albums were, some looked brand new, and other looked as though they had not seen the light of day since they were made. She reached for the closest one and sat it on her lap; the cover was a clean white with no decoration or wording to indicate what memories it held inside. Opening the cover she looked closely at the young smiling faces of her parents wedding picture, they looked so happy smiling up at her, like they didn't have a care in the world. Turning the pages she went through pictures showing the small ceremony and then of the reception. She looked for faces she knew, and studied the faces of those she didn't. Throughout the entire album she saw her parents genuinely happy together, smiling and holding each other looking so in love with each other.

Looking at the photos, it made her wonder, what had changed to make her parents go from so close and loving to cold and distant from each other and her? Had time really been so cruel that they would abandon their only child for their careers? Looking back it seemed almost normal for Willow to be alone, self reliant, capable of making her own mistakes and fixing them. Her parents might not have been there for her, but in Willow's own opinion she supposed it was for the best. She was who she was because of them not being there for her, and even though she didn't like the fact of absent parents; she liked who she had become.

Closing the book she set it on the floor and skimmed the covers of the remaining albums. Tracing her fingers over the cover of an old and tattered looking album, 'This one has character,' she thought and she carefully placed it in front of her. She studied the cover closely, as if burning every detail of it into her minds eye. It was old, the edges worn and tattered, the spine creased from those reminiscing about days gone by. And unlike the previous album it was carefully labeled in a chipped black imprint: **Teaspoon Hunter and Family**.

Delicately, she opened the cover, almost scared that it would pop off, thankfully it didn't. The face that greeted Willow made her want to smile from ear to ear. It was of an old looking fellow, probably in his late forties if not already in his fifties. He was smiling a genuine smile; eyes crinkled showing every laugh line he had. Just by looking at his picture Willow was certain that he had an astounding personality considering that it just jumped up from the page. Looking towards the bottom of the picture she found his name: **Hunter**. Below the black and white picture was a rusted star with the words Marshall engraved, it looked as though it had seen much better days.

Flipping gently from page to page she found many articles featuring Hunter as an Alamo survivor and Texas Ranger. There were many pictures as well of what she assumed to be a younger Hunter riding shotgun for the Texas Ranger. He had lived a wild life it seemed as the pictures and articles described a man who'd lived through the Battle of the Alamo, an interpreter for the Army and Native Americans, one article even went so far as to tell of his marriage to a Native American woman. It seemed to Willow that this man had lived his life to the fullest, something she wished she could do.

It wasn't until around the middle of the album she caught site of a flyer for the Pony Express. Opposite of the flyer was a group picture of who she assumed to be the riders for the express. Below the picture was a group of names: **Rachel, Jimmy, Cody, Noah, Buck, Ike, Lou, Kid and Teaspoon. **Looking at the picture Willow had to admit that there were some good looking men in the photo. She was so mesmerized by the picture she didn't notice the figures in the doorway. One of the figures reached out a hand and tapped her on the shoulder making her jump and the album slide off her lap onto the floor with a thud. Clutching her racing heart she looked up at her laughing intruders with a glare.

"Alexander Harris! Jesse Level! What do you two think you're doing sneaking up on me like that? You almost gave me a heart attack!" She shrieked at them.

"We weren't sneaking, we knocked and since there was no answer we decided to come in and see what our bestest bud was up to." Jesse said with a giant grin on his face.

"Yea Wills," Xander chimed in, "we were just having fun. What are you doing anyway? We knocked but you didn't answer."

"That's what the doorbell is for boys," Willow remarked as she carefully bent down and picked up the book, hoping nothing had happened to it. "And anyways, I was just looking at some family albums."

Jesse walked over to where the book had been and picked up a folded piece of paper handing it to the red head, "Here you go Will, it must have dropped out of your book there."

Unfolding the piece of paper it looked like a family tree, she skimmed the names and noticed that it started with the names Hunter and Rachel. Xander and Jesse took their spots on either side of Willow and looked with her. Both skimmed the list quickly, not taking note of the branches and many names like Willow was, they reached the bottom quickly, "Hey Will, why ain't you down there with your parents?" Xander asked, bringing the girls attention to the bottom of the tree.

Quickly skimming down to the bottom of the tree she read Ira and Sheila but no name below theirs. With a frown on her face she responded quietly, "I guess my parents just don't like to keep up with thinks like this…you know…since they're so busy with work and everything."

Xander and Jesse immediately noticed the change in her mood and decided to do something about it. They convinced her since it was the last day before school started that they should go out and do something different and fun. So they spent the rest of the day watching movies, eating junk food, having a water fight with the neighborhood children and ended the day with ice cream.

Laughing, the three friends walked home thinking about the next day, the first day of sophomore year. After the boys dropped her off at home she locked up before heading to her room. Picking up the albums from her bed she neatly stacked them on her desk, not forgetting to place the ones from the floor on top of the rest. Walking to her dresser she picked out her night clothes before heading to the bathroom for a shower before bed.

As she showered, she couldn't help but to wonder what it might have been like living out west in the 1800's. She knew that it wasn't that easy through what she learned in history and from T.V but she still wondered how she might fare living then. 'I don't think I could ever live a life without plumbing.' Willow shuddered at the thought of having to go outside to a little shack to do ones business. Stepping out of the shower she quickly dressed herself in her green flannel pajama bottoms and a white tank. After brushing her teeth and combing her hair Willow padded softly into her room. After turning out the lights she climbed into bed tossing and turning.

With a sigh, Willow quickly turned on the light and went to her desk. Pulling out the long family tree she quickly grabbed a pen and neatly, below her parents names, wrote her own. With a smile on her face she admired her handiwork, "See Teaspoon, now I'm part of the family. Meet your great, great, great, however great, granddaughter." And with that, she folded up the paper and placed it on the desk with the albums and pen. As she walked to her bed a gush of wind swept into the room sending a shiver down her spine. Walking towards her window she shut it tight and grabbed a sweater from her closet putting it on before she turned off her light and climbed into bed snuggling deep in the covers drifting off to sleep.

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_A/N : __The reason it hasn't been too supernatural is because a) it's the start of the Buffy season, Willow has not started nor received any magical training, b) I'm not going to introduce Angelus, Spike, Darla and Drusilla because they could not have been in the west during the 1860's because they were in Europe moving across towards Asia. (Boxer Rebellion 1899-1901), c) it will get more Buffy-ish I promise._

_Back in the late 1800's/early 1900's old age is today's middle aged. Due to a rough life style and harsh conditions those living out in the west looked a lot older than they really were. If you have a problem with my description of the characters and how they looked not matching the age given, think as to how their living conditions might play a key role in how they aged physically._


	2. Lost

**Chapter Two: Lost**

"Now Lou, I got a special run for you to Willow Creek, an' Jimmy is gonna be tagging along wit' you. You'll be going there to the bank for some bank notes, after that you two get your hides back, ya hear?" Teaspoon said pulling Lou to the side. The petite girl looked upset but before she could get a word in Teaspoon continued. "Now I know things have been strained in the bunkhouse between you an' Kid. This'll give you some time for the both of you to cool off an' think about things. Now go on and get ready to mount up, the horses are ready." And with that Teaspoon turned towards the main station house and walked away from the young woman. Silently fuming the petite brunette walked towards the bunkhouse but before she entered she heard the boys talking, "Kid, don't ya think you're rushing things with this new school teacher? After all, things just ended things with Lou," Noah asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Look Noah, maybe things between me an' Lou just weren't meant to be, did you ever think about it like that?" Kid responded with his southern accent.

Outside the bunkhouse Lou trembled with rage, 'How dare he say that? After everything that we've been through he has the gall to say it like we weren't ever anything special?' Wiping the tears from her eyes Lou entered the bunkhouse quickly and quietly, intent to quickly pack a bag for the trip and leave as soon as possible. Noah, sensing that something just wasn't right with the girl quickly got up and excused himself to finish up his chores while kid just sat on his bunk watching as Lou roughly shoved a shirt into her saddlebag.

"Where ya headin' to Lou?" Kid asked trying to make small talk.

"Willow Creek," Lou responded tersely, "Not like you'll care, but I'm leaving with Jimmy." She knew she was trying to get a rise out of Kid hoping he'd feel some jealousy towards the former rival for her affections, but nothing happened.

"Ahh…well, you two ride safe, 'kay?" With a quick nod of her head Lou was out of the bunkhouse in an instant heading towards Jimmy and the waiting horses. Without a word she quickly mounted and waited for Jimmy before they took off, not caring to wave back at Kid who was waving his goodbyes.

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When Willow awoke, the first thing she noticed was that it was unbearable hot. Scrunching up her face in disgust she began to shrug off her bright blue sweater from the night before. With a grunt of satisfaction she shifted, trying to find a comfortable position, however that was easier said than done. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, but were quickly shut, unused to the bright light. With the palms of her hands, she rubbed the sleep from the corners of her eyes and opened them again. As soon as she opened them she saw a shocking sight, the clear blue sky. Willow bolted up and looked around wildly. She couldn't believe what she saw, a ton of desert, everyway she looked she saw sand and clumps of brush scattered around. Willow took a deep breath and did the most predictable thing she could think of, she screamed out a muffled sob and cried.

'How could this happen?' Willow wondered to herself, 'Jesse and Xander would never do this to me. Where am I? Who would do this to me? Was I kidnapped? What's going to happen to me? I'm going to die out here and nobody is even going to notice!' Willow began to panic even more, the tightening in her chest increasing with every shaky breath she took. It wasn't long until her breaths started coming out in short choking sobs, her chest tightening painfully as it tried to let air in while hyperventilating. 'Willow, you need to calm down.' She tried to reassure herself. 'Everything is going to be fine, you've read books on basic survival, and you can do this, just pull yourself together." With a deep breath she let it out and tried to assess her situation.

'I don't know where I am, I don't know which way is north, I have no food or water, and the sun is already burning my skin…I have no idea what I'm doing or what I should be doing, I'll be dead from dehydration soon enough…No Willow, that kind of thinking is not going to get us out of this mess, we need to get our bearings and try and find a source of water, we can do this…How pathetic am I? Giving myself a pep talk…I don't wanna die…" And with that last thought Willow picked herself up off of the ground and looked around.

'To my left, desert. To my right, desert. In front of me, desert, and would you look at that, behind me is…more desert!' Willow sarcastically thought.

"Stop it Willow, thinking like that will not get us out of this situation!" Willow reprimended herself. Looking at herself Willow noted some important information, 1) she had no shoes, 2) she had no hat or sunscreen, and 3) she had no water at all.

Unsure of what to do, but knowing that it would be stupid to travel without shoes she attempted ripping her flannel pants to make some sort of make shift shoes for herself, however she didn't count on not being able to actually rip through the fabric. Looking around her she found a rock that looked just sharp enough to tear through her pajama bottoms. And with a loud ripping sound, she was able to tear the material from her bottoms to make her make-shift shoes, tying each around her ankle with a smaller piece of her flannel pajamas. Satisfied with that she stood up and wrapped her sweater around her head making a make shift turban. Once she was satisfied she carefully made her way forward, making sure to watch out for anything that might hurt her on the ground.

The one thing that was constantly running through her head at this point was, 'Must find shade and water.' If she could wait it out until night, her chances of survival would be increased dramatically. She walked towards the area that seemed to hold the most vegetation, hoping to find some water, or in the very least shade to protect her. She could feel each grain of sand dig through the fabric of her make shift shoes and could practically hear the sizzle of the sun maliciously burning her previously unmarred skin. As the minutes ticked by she could feel her lips tightening and chapping with the cruel suns heat.

Trudging forward something caught her eye, the ground before her sloped down then up, it looked like she had some luck on her side after all. If Willow was right in her assumptions, she just stumbled on dried up creek bed. With some digging, and luck, she would be able to get some water in her already dehydrating body. Carefully picking up the nearest rock she began her digging in the loose sand, hoping to find some traces of water. Willow's hopes quickly rose when, after a few inches of digging, she reached soft, moist soil. More excited in her efforts Willow dug harder, hoping that fate wasn't just teasing her with the hopes of precious water. About a foot or two of digging and Willow hit water, it wasn't much, but it was enough to get her by and she drank what she could of the muddy water. Looking around her she saw only low bushes, nothing that could provide her with the adequate shade that she needed.

Deciding to make her own shade she picked out a spot in the side of the creek bed and began carving an indentation in the side to protect her from the vicious heat. Once that was done, Willow did the only thing she could, she crawled into the side she dug out and she prayed to every God she knew of to help her. Every time she got thirsty she dug and drank the murky water and rested, silently hoping that no snakes or scorpions or other deadly creepy crawlies came her way, and she waited for the sun to go down, waited for help to come, waited for a miracle to help her.

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Lou and Jimmy had been riding in silence for most of the day, Lou lost in her memories of what Kid had told Noah, and Jimmy just concentrating on the task assigned. It was getting late and the sun was already going down when Jimmy finally decided to break the silence and talk to Lou, "It's getting late, we better stop and let the horses rest and set up camp for the night."

"You're right Jimmy; at this rate we'll be able to make it to Willow Creek about tomorrow afternoon, do our business, rest there for the night and head out the next morning." Her reply was straight to the point leaving no room for discussion. Nodding, both Lou and Jimmy began slowing their horses to prepare for the night ahead of them.

While Jimmy unsaddled the horses for the night Lou started a fire and began on a small simple meal composed of water and some dried jerky. As the sun started its decline the temperature started to as well which was a relief to the riders who'd been riding all day in the hot weather. Things between the two riders were silent until Jimmy spoke up.

"You know Lou, whatever he said, he didn't mean. Kid just gets…well Kid he…he just don't think things through Lou." Looking up at his riding partner he noticed the tears running down her cheeks. "Aww now Lou, I didn't mean to make you cry. Please don't cry...Lou," He tried to console her as best he could, placing an arm around her he let her cry into his shoulder.

"Jimmy, didn't I mean anything to him? I mean, why did he move on so fast after we just broke up?" Lou sniffled, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Ah, I really don't know Lou, but I do know that deep down he's hurtin' too."

"Thanks Jimmy. I…I think I'm going to bed…" Lou said walking over to her saddle and blanket trying to hide her tears that just wouldn't stop coming. With a nod of his head Jimmy said his goodnights thinking about what had just happened.

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Willows eyes opened slowly, she could feel the energy it took to just open them. They burned, begging to be shut, but Willow knew she couldn't let that happen. It was night, and she had to get moving, she had to get out of the desert and to some civilization of she had any hopes of surviving. She could feel her throat tight and dry begging for water. Her lips rubbed together like sandpaper, trying to wet them with her tongue proved to be pointless as her whole mouth was dry and begging for water as well. Her limbs burned from the sun scorching down on them and cried out as she rolled out of her dug in hole. Using every ounce of strength she had, she dug into the dried out creek bed in search of water.

Without the sun shining down it was hard to see if she was making any progress, however with night upon her she didn't have to fear the burning harshness of its powerful rays. When she felt she hit water she drank everything she could but it just didn't seem to be enough. Her brain it seemed to have kicked off and survivor instinct kicked in, she dug and dug like there was no tomorrow, she dug for the water she needed even though her arms screamed for her to stop. Finally, too tired to dig anymore, she drank whatever she had, but it still wasn't enough. Reality kicked in waking her mind from completely, 'If I don't get out of here tonight, I'm dead.'

A feeling of complete dread washed over Willow, followed by determination and her resolve face. Struggling to her feet she clumsily climbed out of the creek bed and looked around her for any sign of life. Slowly spinning in a circle her tired eyes strained for any sign of civilization, for the glow of light bulbs, headlights, anything to get her out of the barren wasteland she was now in. Her head stopped to her left, there, in the distance, was a light. Something was over in that direction and that's all Willow needed to know, it didn't matter if her eyes were playing tricks on her, it was her best shot at survival and she was going to take it. She had to cross through the creek again and still stumbled to get out of it. Everything seemed to weigh her down, her body felt like led, her clothing like weighted down suits of armor, but she had her resolve face on and nothing was going to stop her.

Stumbling and tripping she just couldn't seem to make it any closer to the light. 'What if I'm suffering heat stroke and it's all just a hallucination?' Willow thought, quietly panicking at the thought of fate being so cruel.

"Willow don't you think that, your eyes wouldn't do that to you…you're going to make it to that light and you're going to be safe, just you wait. You'll see," Willow told herself, her voice harsh and tired, as she stumbled along, tripping over her feat as she went along. 'Look at yourself Willow, you're already going crazy, and talking to yourself…you're not going to make it. You're too tired to take another step, just face facts, lay down and accept fate.'

Gritting her teeth Willow trudged on for what seemed like hours, the light slowly coming closer, so slowly though. Her eyes burned, head throbbed, feet bled, and body cried out, every part of her was in pain and she wanted for it to stop, but there was only two ways that that could happen, she'd either have to give up or make it to that light and there was no chance in hell that Willow was going to quit, not when her life depended on it.

She marched on for all she was worth, her drive overriding her bodies' protests, however, the body can only take so much, and her right leg was the first to give out. She took a step expecting the other foot to go in front of the other, but that wasn't the case and she dropped harder than a ton of bricks landing painfully on her chest.

'This can't happen, please God, I want to go on, I can make it, I don't want to die, not like this.' Willow began to panic, she couldn't move, no matter how hard she wanted to, her body just wouldn't listen to her. 'I don't want to die, not like this. Why?' She wanted to cry, but nothing would come out, there was no water to be spared for tears. She felt so helpless, like nothing could be done no matter what, and slowly, her eyelids started to close on her, no matter how much she fought, it was over, she would succumb to the deserts vicious test, she had failed herself.

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**A/N:I'm going to try and pop as many of these things out as I can before school starts. Remember I'm starting over, so please, bare with me here.**


	3. Found

**Chapter 3: Found**

Startled by the sound of a thus somewhere not too far from the camp Jimmy pulled out his colt pistol quietly preparing for a fight. Crouching low to the ground he made his way towards his sleeping partner. "Lou," he whispered harshly, "Lou, wake up, I heard something."

Rousing from her sleep she noticed Jimmy's pistol out and followed suit, getting ready in case she needed to defend herself. For several minutes both riders stayed low to the ground, ears straining to hear sounds of any life coming there way. Jimmy slowly looked around before standing up, pistol at the ready for any sign of trouble.

"Jimmy, are you sure you heard anything? Maybe it was just a coyote or something." Lou questioned, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"I know what I heard Lou, whatever's out there, what ever made that noise…it's just too big to be a coyote." Jimmy responded, eyes searching the darkness. "Stay right here, I'm going to see if I can't find anything." And with that he was off into the darkness looking for whatever it was that had made the noise.

Eyes already adjusting to the darkness Jimmy carefully made his way out into the desert, occasionally looking back towards the fire to make sure not to get lost. Judging from his distance from the camps fire, he figured that he'd already walked a good hundred yards or so without any sign of life, not even the rattle of a snake which was surprising being so far out. Deciding to head back to camp he quickly re-holstered his gun and took one final look around, and that's when he saw something. On the ground in the dark was a dark lump that was too big to be a coyote and it wasn't moving. Carefully he made his way towards the figure and knelt down beside it. It was hard to make out any real physical traits, but from what he could tell, it was a female who'd been through something awful.

"Lou!" Jimmy called out checking for a pulse, "Lou get over here quick!" Finding a pulse he added, "And bring your canteen!"

In the darkness he could hear Lou's light footsteps running towards him. Lifting the unconscious girl off the ground and into his lap, he brushed her hair out of her face and waited for Lou to get to them.

"What is it?" Lou asked handing Jimmy the canteen of water.

"A girl, and from the looks of it, she must have been out here for a while…I wonder where she came from…" Jimmy responded, attempting to get some water into her system hoping that it would to wake her.

The water slid past Willows lips and down her throat making her body jolt and she began choking on the water. Willows eyes opened suddenly, 'There's water!' Grabbing the dark air in front of her until she finally found the source of the water, and even though it was attached to a hand already, it really didn't bother her as she brought it to her mouth and took a deep long drink.

Gently pulling the canteen away for the girl he was relieved that she was still alive, and now conscious. The girl however, didn't seem to be finished and tried bringing the canteen back to her lips.

"Hey now," Jimmy responded lightly, "Your safe now. There's no need to drink yourself sick."

Willows silently wondered who she was with, part of her was relieved to be found, but another part of her was scared, wondering what these people would do now that they had found her. She didn't have to wait long for the silence to be broken when another person spoke, this time a female.

"Jimmy lets get back to the camp and we can see what needs to be done to help her." And with that they stood up, Willow still in Jimmy's arms as they headed towards the dim light of a camp fire. Willow, still completely drained, rested her head against the shoulder of her savior as her eyes began to droop close. Unable to fight it any longer, Willow fell asleep on their way towards camp.

Upon arrival to their camp Jimmy gently leaned the sleeping girl against his saddle before stoking the fire back to life. In the light both were finally able to see their new companion. Lou let out a small gasp as she fully took in the sight before her. All exposed skin was red and swollen, extremely sun burnt, the clothing she wore was dirty and torn. The shoes that Willow had made were completely torn to pieces exposing cuts and swollen feet.

"Where did she come from Jimmy?" Lou asked quietly careful not to wake the sleeping red head.

"I don't know Lou. Let's get some rest and in the morning we'll set out earlier than usual. We need to get her to a doctor and hopefully find out what happened to her."

Lou simply nodded her head before lying down and going to sleep, Jimmy on the other hand had a difficult time falling asleep. Looking over to the lost girl he wondered about her and hoped that she would make it through this incident without anymore damage.

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**A/N: Since this chapter is so short I hope to have two more chapters posted by the end of today.**


	4. To Willow Creek

**Chapter Four: To Willow Creek**

When Jimmy awoke the sun had yet to rise but the faint glow in the distance told him that the sun would soon be out. He quickly woke Lou and together they set to break camp grabbing a quick bite to eat before saddling the horses. It surprised the two riders when the sleeping red head didn't even stir as Jimmy laid her down on the cool ground to get to his saddle. With the sun slowly rising, it was easier to see the extent her time out in the grueling desert had done to the girl. Her lips chapped and skin horribly burnt from the sun; she looked like she'd been through hell fighting the entire way.

It was difficult for Jimmy to mount up with an extra person but with some help from Lou, the three were setting out towards Willow Creek. The jolting from the horses would no doubt wake up the exhausted girl but until that time came, Lou and Jimmy were content on riding in the silence enjoying the cool morning. With the sun shining down brightly now, Jimmy was able to finally get a good look at the girl sitting in front of him. Her red hair was tangled with pieces of brush sticking out of it. Her face was set in a frown, however he could tell that if she were to lose the burn and smile, she would be beautiful. Her clothing was odd and if anything, extremely revealing, her top hardly covered anything and her bottoms showed off most of her legs. Grinning to himself he looked up noticing Lou glaring at him. Letting out a sheepish laugh he nudged his horse forward picking up the pace.

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Willow groaned out in pain, everything was killing her and the jarring beneath her wasn't helping any. Squinting her eyes open, she followed the arm around her waist to the face of a very attractive man sitting behind her. Willow would have blushed if it wasn't for the fact that she was already redder than a lobster. She took a good look at him, his face was very attractive, though there was a little smudge of dirt here and there, it seemed to just add to his appeal. His brown hair was long and was pushed behind his ears, kept there by his snug fitting black cowboy hat. Grinning to herself, she knew that this kind of man was in Cornelia's words, "A major hottie."

"Hey, Lou!" The man behind her called out to the person ahead of them.

"What is it Jimmy?" She asked, slowing down her horse so she was riding next to the pair.

"Look who's finally decided to join us," Willow scrunched up as far back as she could, trying to hide herself from the new person, this earned a chuckle from Jimmy. "You're a shy one, aren't you?"

"Finally returned to the land of the living has she?" Lou asked reaching for her canteen and tossed it to Jimmy who gave it to Willow. "Just remember to take it easy with the water; we still have a while before we get into town to refill."

With shaky hands she accepted the canteen from Jimmy and nodded her thanks towards Lou. Closing her eyes she enjoyed the feeling of the cool water sliding down her throat. She just couldn't wait to get to this town and call Xander and Jesse to come and pick her up, wherever she was. Screwing the cap back on she held the canteen close to her, not knowing if she should give it back to Jimmy or Lou.

"I…" Willow choked out, clearing her throat she tried again, "I didn't know we had rangers in California. Why weren't you guys in a truck or something?" Willow rasped out, not really liking the feeling of being on a tall horse.

Jimmy and Lou shared a confused look before Jimmy spoke up, "What do you mean 'rangers in California?' And what's a truck?"

Willow looked shocked but tried to shake it off, "You know, California, the big state, Las Angeles, Hollywood. And everyone knows what a truck is. Vroom …Vroom, an automobile."

Again Jimmy and Lou looked confused. "We're not in California, we're in Nebraska Territory. And we're not rangers, we're riders for the Pony Express," Lou stated.

With bug eyes Willow stuttered, "Pony express? As in _the_ Pony Express, started in April of 1880, founded by the team of William Hepburn Russell, William B. Waddell, and Alexander Majors? The Pony Express that connected east to west, the first postmen of America… Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds…" she babbled on as Lou and Jimmy shared a concerned look then a burst of laughter from the red head startled the two. However the laughter soon turned to tears the riders were forced to stop and see what was wrong with their charge.

Jimmy slid off his horse gently bringing the hysterical girl with him. Cradling the weeping red-head in his arms he looked to Lou for some sort of help. Shushing the girl he looked down and in his eyes he saw a girl who looked so lost and alone that it just pulled at his heart.

"Hey, what's your name?" Lou asked gently, kneeling next to Willow and Jimmy.

"W-W-Willow…" She managed to sob out.

"Willow, well, my name is Lou, and this here is Jimmy. We're heading to Willow Springs, do you know where that is?" The smaller girl tried to coax out information.

"N-No, I d-don't even know h-how I got h-h-here…I want t-t-to go home…" Willow hiccupped out trying to calm herself down.

"Listen to me Willow, we're not going to let anything bad happen to you, do you understand? We don't know what happened to you out there in the desert, but I promise you that from this point on are going to get better, okay?" Lou knew that she was coddling the girl, but it seemed to have a calming effect on her.

"Now before we set off are you hungry? Is there anything that you need?" Lou asked before standing up.

"Umm…well…I am a bit hungry, if it's not any trouble." Willow stammered.

Nodding her head Lou walked over to her pack and pulled out a piece of dried jerky and handed it to Willow. Gratefully accepting the meat she bit into it hoping to calm the gnawing hunger. Once she was finished she had calmed down drastically and apologized for slowing the two down even more than she already had. Before mounting up, Jimmy took of his jacket and helped Willow into it. Before she could ask why she was in a jacket when it was so hot out he told her, "It's to stop the sun from burning you any more than you already are." And with that they continued their trek to Willow Creek.

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	5. Willow Creek

**Chapter 5: Willow Creek**

The traveling group managed to make it to their destination by mid-afternoon and the first stop was to the local doctor to have Willow examined and make sure nothing too serious was wrong. While Jimmy stayed with Willow, Lou went ahead to the bank to see about those bank notes Teaspoon had requested.

"How long did you say you were out there child?" The local physician asked Willow while tsking at the severity of her sun burn.

"About a whole day," Willow responded, wincing at the pain of him poking and prodding her sore body.

"And how did you end up all the way out there with no water or shoes?"

"I told you already, I don't know how I got there. One minute I'm asleep in my bed, and the next I'm in the middle of the desert." The frustrated Willow huffed, "And I'm _not_ crazy, so don't look at me like that.

With a response like that, the doctor pulled Jimmy aside, "And she say's that she's from California?" Jimmy nodded in confirmation. "I didn't see any damage to the head, but it is possible that the sun affected her in more ways than one. Being dehydrated for so long, it's not good for the mind." The doctor explained. "I'm going to give you a salve for the burn but I can't do anything about her going crazy." And with that the doctor walked over towards his cabinet and pulled out a jar containing a gooey paste.

"You're going to have to apply it twice a day," he said talking to Jimmy while opening the jar and applying the gunk on Willows face. As soon as the foul concoction touched her face Willows eyes popped out and her face contorted into one of disgust. Upon seeing her reaction Jimmy coughed his laughter into his hand as the doctor continued his little speech, "It will take some time for this to completely heal so she needs to use it every day until it's completely gone. Understood?"

"Yes sir, I believe we understand just fine. Now how much is the salve going to cost exactly?" Jimmy asked, knowing that the price would be outrageous.

"Normally it's five dollars, but seeing as how she really needs it, I'll give it to you for three." The doc said with a yellow smile.

Shaking his head Jimmy politely declined, "I think we'd both be better off on our own, but thank you for your time and checking her over." With a frown on his face the doc quickly sealed the jar with a huff and placed it back in the cabinet.

"Yes well then, I still expect to be paid for our little visit here," Nodding Jimmy paid the man, and with Willow in tow, left the office. 'How am I going to repay him for the bill? I have no money and I doubt I'll be able to get any job looking like a giant tomato!'

Once they were outside Jimmy burst out laughing while Willow sulked next to him. Raising a hand to her face he wiped off a small amount of the goop and smelled it, scrunching up his face afterwards. Willow giggled at the face he made, it was cute.

"Man, it's no wonder you made that face in there Will, that is some foul stuff you have on your face." Sticking her tongue out at Jimmy she smiled when he returned the favor. "C'mon, we need to make our way to the bank and find Lou."

As Jimmy stepped out into the dirt street Willow hesitated to do the same. When Jimmy gave her a questioning look she pointed to her shoeless feet and it finally dawned on Jimmy that it was going to be hard for her to get around town with torn up feet. Turning around he motioned for Willow to jump on his back. Shaking her head no she took a step backward. "Now Willow, don't make me throw you over my shoulder. Either you hop on my back or I carry you like a sack of potatoes to the bank." Letting out a scared squeal she quickly followed his orders and carefully hopped on his back.

Embarrassed but smiling, Willow giggled to herself, it had been a long time since she'd been given a piggy back ride. Hearing his passenger laugh, Jimmy smiled to himself happy to have made her laugh. It didn't take long to find a fuming Lou heading their way from the towns' bank.

"We have to stay the night; they won't have the bank notes until tomorrow. We won't make it home until the day after next," Lou fumed.

"Well then, we need to go an' get us a couple of rooms at the local inn and after that I need to go and take care of some business." Jimmy said before leading the way with Lou following.

* * *

Once they reached the safety of the local inn Willow gently slid off of Jimmys' back, thanking him for the ride and entered the dimly lit foyer of what looked like a cozy inn. Jimmy and Lou walked to the desk located next to a staircase which no doubt led to the rooms. Willow however opted to stay close to the door and tried not to drag too much attention to herself, which was harder to do considering how her scantily clad body was earning leers from men walking in and out. 

"Uhh, we'd like two rooms please," Jimmy told the balding manager.

"We only got one room left."

"Mister, we have had ourselves a hell of a ride, you sure you ain't got yourself a second room?"

"I said I ain't, and I ain't!" The man huffed out, annoyed at Jimmy and his tone. "Sides, the beds big enough for you and your…_friends_," the man snickered to Jimmy, eyes roaming towards Willow who shifted uncomfortable in the background.

"We'll take the room," Lou said, blocking the old mans gaze towards Willow. Paying the man the three of them made their way up the stairs and towards their room.

Upon entering the slightly stuffy room Willow took in the sights around her, the bed was _not_ big enough for the three of them like the innkeeper had suggested, there was a short dresser with a small basin and pitcher to freshen up, a mirror above the dresser and lastly, a rocking chair in the corner of the room. Jimmy told the two that he was going to run a couple of errands before he left the two women alone with each other.

There was a very awkward silence as the two shuffled around the room. Willow finally took it upon herself to step out of the way and sat in the creaky chair watching the movements of her roommate. Willow took the opportunity to study the girl; she was smaller than Willow and seemed to be trying to come off more masculine than she really was. Her hair was short, not quite able to reach her shoulders, and the brown locks seemed to have a small natural curl to them. Her brown eyes locked with Willows green as if looking for answers to unasked questions, looking towards the window Willow broke the eye contact.

"So what's your name?" Lou asked, sitting herself on the bed looking at Willow.

"I told you…Willow," the red head responded looking back towards the questioning girl.

"Willow what?"

"R-Rosenberg…Willow Rosenberg," shifting uncomfortably in the rocking chair she caused it to creek loudly.

"Uh huh, be honest with me, what were you doing out there in the middle of nowhere?" Leaning forward, Lou dug in for more information about the girl, hoping that it would help Jimmy and herself find the girls family.

"I know it sounds crazy but trust me, I'm _not_! Really! I went to bed in my home in California, and when I woke up I was in the middle of the desert, I'm not lying and I'm_ not_ crazy!" Willow wanted to stress the 'not crazy' portion of her answer.

"Where in California are you from?"

"Sunnydale, it's not too far from Los Angeles," Little did she know the ramifications of her answers, but right now she needed all the help she could get to get back home, 'Even though home is over one hundred years in the future.'

Shaking her head in disbelief Lou wondered what Willow could be hiding she comforted the girl, "Don't worry Willow, we're going to get you home," and with that the silence raged on.

* * *

Jimmy barged into the room slightly startling the girls who looked at him wondering what he had brought back with him. Setting down two big packages on the bad along with a smaller one, he grinned at the two girls. Handing the small package, followed by the top larger package to Willow and the bottom package to Lou, he looked at them intently. 

"Well aren't you going to open them? The box ain't as pretty as what is inside," he excitedly encouraged them.

Looking down and her large package, Lou carefully lifted the lid before rifling through the white tissue paper before a smile spread across her face. Quickly standing up she pulled out a lovely blue dress with white trim, holding it up to herself she entertained as to how she might look in it. Both turned their eyes to Willow who still had not opened one of her packages.

"They ain't gonna bite you silly, go on and open it or I'll do it myself," Jimmy said looking expectantly towards the red head.

"If whatever is in these packages is remotely as nice as what Lou's now holding I'm going to have to decline Jimmy, I'm sorry but I can't even repay you for the visit to that quack doctor!" Willow exclaimed trying to give the packages back to Willow.

"I guess I'm going to have to open them for you then," and with that Jimmy opened smaller box first. Inside was a pair of simple boots that looked as if they might be a tad bit big for her. Placing the shoes next to her feet he then took the larger box off of her lap and ended up pulling out a dress not unlike the one Lou was holding up herself, except for being a lovely navy blue it was green and just as lovely.

"Jimmy, I can't accept thi…" However she was quickly cut off, "I'm not going to take no for an answer, you need clothes, do you really expect to walk around outside in what you're wearing now? It's just not really all that decent if you ask me," he said coercing her into taking it. He was right, she couldn't very well go out in public the way she, she'd already received one too many unwelcomed stares. Sighing she finally caved in and thanking him for the beautiful gifts.

"Now you too get dressed cause I'm taking you out to dinner, boy am I going to be the envy of Willow Creek escortin' the most beautiful girls in town," The smooth talker gave the two girls a toothy grin before going outside to wait on the two girls.

"Lou, I really don't feel like going out, I'm tired and I really don't want to go out in public looking the way that I do," motioning to her horrible burn she pleaded with Lou.

"Alright Willow, I'll bring something back for you to eat, try and rest, and be safe, if anything goes wrong I want you to scream, do you hear me, somebody will come running, trust me," Lou understood how difficult a situation she was in. With a nod Willow helped Lou lace up the back of her dress and said her goodbyes as Lou walked out of the room.

* * *

Willow sat on the floor with the basin and jug of water in front of her, she was determined to clean herself up some after having been out in the dirt and dust for the past two days, not to mention the horrible slave that the doctor had so _kindly_ put onto her face. Carefully putting a small amount of water in the bottom of the basin she placed in one of her feet with a small hiss feeling the sand stuck in the cuts and crevices slowly start to unglue themselves. Once finished with her feet she began to systematically wash herself, trying to conserve as much water as she could, what she would give for a nice soak in a cool relaxing bath tub. Moving on to her face she scrubbed the mess off of her face gently, trying her best not to irritate her skin. Smiling to herself when all was done she took a good look in the mirror but quickly turned away, she looked so much worse than before the burn, this would undoubtedly take a long time to recover from. 

'I wonder what Xander and Jesse are doing right now?' She wondered, getting lost in her thoughts, 'Have they called the police yet? Are they looking for me? Have they even called my parents? It's not like they'd care all that much, probably be relieved now that they don't have to worry about attempting to raise me…I miss Xander and Jess, they always used to be able to make me happy, why couldn't they be here with me?' Willow hardly noticed her vision begin to blur with tears as she thought about her friends. 'We're the only family we have, why can't this be like the movies? Can't Xander and Jesse just come riding in and take me home and make everything better, I'd like that…'

Moving to the chair she wiped the tears from her eyes, "How am I ever going to make it home without them?" And with that Willow sobbed herself to sleep.

* * *

"What is this stuff anyway?" Lou said holding up and half empty glass. 

"Wine, or so they say." Jimmy responded smirking at his tipsy friend while finishing his meal.

"Well, I like it."

"I can see that," Jimmy responded almost laughing at her.

"Do you ever think about the future?" Lou asked cupping the glass in her hands with a thoughtful expression on her face, "Like, where you'll be five years from now? Ten?...Where we'll all be?"

Shaking his head, he responded, "No…No, can't say that I do." Removing his napkin from his lap and placing it on his finished plate he waited for her to say something.

"You're a funny man…a sweet man…" placing the now empty glass on the table while staring at him intently she whispered, "You've been a good friend to me Jimmy Hickok. You make me feel like a new woman," leaning from her seat she placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"Well," Lou exclaims banging her hands on the table slightly embarrassed at her actions, "Let's go, we got a charge to look after," excusing themselves from the restaurant they made their way into the street arms linked together walking slowly to the hotel. Arriving to the room had a sobering effect on the slightly tipsy Lou as she saw Willow curled up in the chair looking ten times smaller and so very lonely.

"Jimmy, what are we going to do about her?" Lou whispered, hoping not to wake the sleeping girl.

"I don't know what we can do really, I checked in with the sheriff today, an' he said that there are no missing persons in the area, I say we take her back to Sweetwater with us an' see what Teaspoon has to say. 'Sides if we leave her out here she's done for. It's best that she stay with us for now." Lou nodded in agreement and hoped that could help her somehow.

* * *


End file.
